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While everyone is accustomed to cleaning their kitchens,
bedrooms and baths, we rarely take the time to think about,
let alone clean, our offices-whether they are at home or in
a big corporate center. In fact, people whose offices are
located outside the home rarely, if ever, think about
tidying up their office. They leave that chore to the
cleaning people, which, let's face it, do not take the time
to clean up every individual office; that's the occupant's
job. Here are some tips for keeping yours neat and tidy.
Out of Sight
Invest in file cabinets, rolling or stationary, that keep
files enclosed and dust-free. Too many files or books on a
desktop collect dust, not to mention, occupy valuable desk
space. Keeping your desk clear of all but the most important
items and work at hand, will make for a more productive
workday.
Clean from Inside Out
If you open your file cabinets and find they are untidy,
consider re-doing your files. Toss dog-eared manila file
folders with handwritten titles and replace them with new,
crisp files with bold new labels. Consider color-coding your
files; blue for one project and green for another. Match up
the labels and print them on a laser or inkjet printer.
Also consider upgrading your hanging file folder system.
These can become overstuffed with too much paper. Whoever
said we are becoming a paperless society was probably off
the mark. We still save a lot of paper, which is likely to
also be content found on our hard drives. Toss old paper,
thin out files and re-label. It takes some time, but once it
is done, opening a file drawer to see everything clearly
will pay off by saving time spent searching for information.
Get the Dust Out
Air dusters, those aerosol cans of air that can be sprayed
into the crevices of your keyboard and mouse, get rid of
trapped dust, crumbs and other leftovers from any snacks you
enjoyed during the workday. Microfiber dust cloths are also
good to keep in a desk drawer to wipe up your bookshelves,
desk, computer monitor and other electronic equipment. It is
rare that any cleaning person, even the best, remembers to
tackle all of these areas every time.
Also, consider that there are some aerosol furniture
polishes and cleaners that actually help repel dust. These
products are good if you want to increase the length of time
between dustings.
Keep Sanitizer On-Hand
Keep some anti-bacterial hand sanitizer in your office
drawer for when you return from a meeting that involved a
lot of handshaking, particularly if someone had the
sniffles. Cleaning your hands immediately will cut back on
germs and you may find that you will have fewer colds than
you will suffer through March.
These are simple tips for cleaning that will help any office
worker, at home or off-site, make a clean start in 2008.
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